Thunder athletes ink college scholarships

SARASOTA — From the moment they first donned an Out-of-Door Academy uniform, eight seniors have had their hearts set on playing at the next level.

And over the past month, those same eight seniors have all seen their dreams come to fruition after having signed national letters-of-intent to play collegiate athletics. On May 12, they were honored for their achievements during the school’s annual athletics award ceremony in the Thunderdome at the Uihlein Campus.

Tyler Burgett
Sport: Football
College of choice: Indiana University
Major: Sports management

What made you choose Indiana University?
The opportunity to play for a Big Ten school, which will not only provide the athletic experience I am looking for but also a great education. Also, I am originally from Indianapolis.

What’s the biggest adjustment you’ll have to make going from high school to college athletics?
The level of competition will be unlike anything I have seen thus far. Also going to a high school with just over 300 students to a college with more than 35,000 students.

Jimmy Donnellan
Sport: Football
College of choice: Bowdoin College
Major: Pre-med

What are you looking forward to the most about playing in college?
I’m excited to have the opportunity to play. I know I’m (not necessarily) going into the NFL, so my goal for the next four years is to help the team any way I can and to have a lot of fun while doing it.

What’s the biggest adjustment you’ll have to make going from high school to college athletics?
The biggest thing I’ll have to figure out is time management.

Mara Falahee
Sport: Girls Basketball
College of choice: Scripps College
Major: Economics and international relations; minor in a foreign language

What does it mean to you to be able to continue playing at the next level?
Playing basketball in college has been a dream of mine since kindergarten. I still have the sticky note on my desk from last year that states, “I will play basketball in college,” and a goal guideline on how I will achieve it. Knowing I have achieved my goal makes playing at the college level extremely exciting.

What has been your biggest ODA athletic accomplishment?
Scoring over 1,000 points. It was the first time in ODA history that a student scored 1,000 points; and
ODA was amazing at supporting me through my 1,000th-point game.

Zach Hoppe
Sport: Baseball
College of choice: Eckerd College
Major: Criminology

What made you choose Eckerd College?
I was really impressed with the baseball team and the school itself is beautiful and close to home.

What has been your biggest ODA athletic accomplishment?
Helping my team reach the playoffs two years in a row, becoming the first baseball team in ODA history to do so.

Grant McCarthy
Sport: Football
College of choice: Rhodes College
Major: Neuroscience

What does it mean to you to be able to play at the next level?
Playing football at the next level means that I can continue my passion for football and do what I love. 

What are you looking forward to the most about playing at the next level?
At the next level, I look forward to bonding with my teammates, mentoring from the coaches and playing in front of a wider crowd. Everything that I loved about playing high school football will still remain, just elevated and taken to a more serious level.

Cara Messina
Sport: Swimming
College of choice: Guilford College
Major: English; art history minor

What made you choose Guilford College?
The school that I am attending is a Quaker school, and that was really one of the many reasons I chose it. Guilford is beautiful and has that old collegiate feel, but it is the Quaker values of friendship and integrity that made it so attractive to me.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing at the next level?
The opportunity to really get to know my teammates and build on the skills I developed in high school.

Brian O’Connor
Sport: Football
College of choice: University of Wyoming
Major: Business

What does it mean to you to be able to continue playing at the next level?
It’s very rewarding and exciting. It’s always been a goal of mine to be able to play at the college level

What made you choose Wyoming?
The location, facilities, and how the whole state rallies around the Wyoming Cowboys football team make it exciting to play in that environment.

Brian Ragone
Sport: Football and track
College of choice: Amherst College
Major: Economics and math

What does it mean to you to be able to continue playing at the next level?
I’m very happy to be able to continue to play on a higher level, where the competition is more intense and I can continue learning more about the position I play, in the sport I love.

What’s the biggest adjustment you’ll have to make going from high school to college athletics?
The biggest adjustment will be going from the top, to the bottom of totem pole again. Going from a team captain, who is calling the shots, to a freshman, who normally is told what to do.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].